POSC 466 - Seminar: Dispelling American Founding Myths: The Declaration of Independence and the Framing of the Constitution

What did the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution mean when written? Students focus on the essays, debates, and events in the American colonies and young nation that preceded and led to the drafting of these two foundational documents. Students explore still contested questions such as: was the Declaration’s language of equality intended to include all men and women in a land marked with all manner of inequalities? Were the Constitution’s Framers seeking to facilitate democratic governance or to limit it as much as possible? In writing the Constitution, how did they understand the essential institutions they created and/or effectively endorsed: the Electoral College, the Supreme Court, Senate representation, and slavery? In answering these questions, participants are asked to read carefully primary American Founding-era documents, rather than research the views of secondary scholars and pundits.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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